HEMANGIOENDOTHELIOMA OF THE THYROID REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE AND REPORT OF A CASE

Abstract

ONLY 2 cases of hemangioendothelioma of the thyroid have been described in American patients (1, 2). In Switzerland, on the other hand, this form of malignant goiter occurs in 16.2 per cent of thyroid cancers (Matti (3)). We recently had the opportunity to study such a tumor in the Hertzler Clinic. A 67-year-old white female was admitted to the Halstead Hospital on July 7, 1951. She stated that in 1931 she had a goiter operation in another hospital and got along very well until February 1950, when the right side of her neck began to enlarge steadily and became harder. She did not notice rapid heart beat or shortness of breath. Her appetite was good but she had lost 30 pounds of weight during the past year. Family history: The father died at the age of 79, the mother at the age of 30, of unknown cause. One brother died of cancer. The patient had five full-term pregnancies; the children are living and well. One of the daughters has a goiter.